It's been a hard week so far. Lots of stresses, so I need a blogging break.
Evidently themed park costumed characters don't need to be human anymore... as yet another form of computer device is taking jobs away from hard working, pimple popping college students at a Disney Park near you! Disneyland has robotic Muppets (yes, I said Muppets) touring the park interracting with participants as they walk around the park.Engaget has the story:
The two wacky companions [Dr. Bunsen, Beaker] approach groups of visitors in their remotely-controlled, cartoonish rocket ship, and thanks to operators monitoring embedded cameras, microphones, and speakers, are able to to carry on eerily-realistic conversations that incorporate actual traits of the audience members. The L.A. Times reminds us that the MML is only the latest in a long line of animatronic entertainers, from the Enchanted Tiki Room and Mr. Lincoln in the 60's to Lucky the Dinosaur and Crush the Turtle in the new millennium -- but Honeydew and Tweaker Beaker are the first that can be modified to entertain in almost any environment. Disney expects the new tech -- which enables remote operation from as far away as Glendale -- to eventually expand its stable of characters to include some of the Muppets who are too small to be played by actors (as opposed to mice, dogs, and ducks, which are just the right size).
I've included some video as well, since I know we're not all going to fly to California to see the robots in action.
What's the spiritual significance of this? I really don't have one. Sometimes a robotic plush toy is just a robotic plush toy. What can I say, I'm just a big Muppet guy at heart and I needed a distraction.
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